Well rendered, Richard. I've always thought Bob Dylan is the reincarnation of Rimbaud. Some of their lines are inscrutable. Dylan wrote about a “gray-flannel dwarf.” And what are “four-legged forest clouds”? And “They shaved her head/She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo.” Whereas Rimbaud's poetry was fueled by absinthe, Dylan dabbled in his own provocative elixirs. I wonder if it was worth the price they paid. For Rimbaud, a short life with a touch of insanity; for Dylan, a Nobel he didn't want.
Thanks, Ellie. So many writers have fallen under his spell. A chapter of "Just Kids" by Patti Smith, is devoted to a trip she took to Rimbaud's home town, Charleville. Even Henry Miller wrote a book about Rimbaud!
Wow! What a fascinating story - I had no idea!
Pretty crazy, right?
maybe that's what we should do!
In high school, I read "Axel and Rimbaud." Trying to remember why and what it was. And who wrote it. Maybe Edmund Wilson or Mary McCarthy.
I would say probably Wilson, who wrote "Axel's Castle."
Well rendered, Richard. I've always thought Bob Dylan is the reincarnation of Rimbaud. Some of their lines are inscrutable. Dylan wrote about a “gray-flannel dwarf.” And what are “four-legged forest clouds”? And “They shaved her head/She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo.” Whereas Rimbaud's poetry was fueled by absinthe, Dylan dabbled in his own provocative elixirs. I wonder if it was worth the price they paid. For Rimbaud, a short life with a touch of insanity; for Dylan, a Nobel he didn't want.
Thanks, Ellie. So many writers have fallen under his spell. A chapter of "Just Kids" by Patti Smith, is devoted to a trip she took to Rimbaud's home town, Charleville. Even Henry Miller wrote a book about Rimbaud!
Hey Ken,
I'm glad you liked the piece. As for a cup of coffee with AR, hmmm. Not so sure about that! Richard